Tag Archive: Ella Shippey

The themes of nightmare and hell were inspirations for Israeli born designer Inbar Spector’s show, appropriately played out in the grand art deco surroundings of the Freemasons Hall in Great Queen Street.

A devastating fire in Spector’s hometown in Israel earlier this year was cited as another influence for the macabre collection and was evident in the elaborate oversized brocade jackets which looked like they’d be shrunken and melted by some intense heat. When these were paired with contrasting tulle ballerina skirts, models were transformed into Tim Burton-esque gothic princess brides.

There were more wearable options in the faux leather metallic dresses, which looked as if they’d be tailored from the most exotic reptile skins, and these led on to entire gowns constructed out of twisted and tucked expanses of tulle in powdery mint greens and dusty pinks.

The finale dresses were mesmerising in their intricacy, like giant concertina honeycombs made from hundreds of laser cut doilies it was like watching a parade of the most beautifully extravagant Christmas decorations.

**Thanks to my pal Ella Shippey, Freelance Fashion Assistant, for stepping in and covering my shows while I was in New York, you rock!!! Check out her other posts for Fashionista Barbie on David Koma and Mark Fast.**

Held in the awe-inspiring backdrop of the disused Eurostar platform at Waterloo station, the ceiling of which still bearing the discarded helium balloons from the earlier Meadham Kirchhoff show. If Koma is known for that dinner/breast plate dress Cheryl Cole wore on the X Factor, his spring/summer 2012 show will go some way to eradicating this slightly unfortunate association.

Set to a thumping African beat, models stomped down the catwalk in tribal print devore body suits, accompanied by butter-soft, shredded leather pencil skirts inspired by the unusual combination of African zulu skirt and traditional Scottish kilt. The colour scheme of white and black was accented with flashes of citrus, fuchsia and ice blue in belts and on cuffs.

If this LFW has been mostly about the skirt, then Koma flew the flag for the trouser. Fluid flared shapes in white and citrus elongated the leg and looked fresh in a sea of body-con dresses and skater skirts.

Reverting to type, the latter half of the collection showed the Sci-Fi styling we recognise from his previous collections. Iridescent Perspex tubes, created in a collaboration with jewellery designer Sarah Angold, formed peplums and trimmed hems. All of which combined to create a futuristic 3-D aesthetic, fit for an intergalactic Aztec warrior woman…or TV talent show panellist.

**Thanks to my pal Ella Shippey, Freelance Fashion Assistant, for stepping in and covering my shows while I was in New York, you rock!!!**

Mark Fast, fashion’s undisputed king of knitwear, unveiled a smart and coherent collection on the penultimate day of the capital’s womenswear show calendar.

In a palette that ran from nude to black, interspersed with the kind of brights you would have found on an early nineties friendship bracelet, Fast took us on a journey from tribal desert queen to 70s poolside glamour all with a yarn twist.

Displaying his talents with the crochet knit, Fast opened the show with a collection of dresses which ran through every imaginable skirt variation from tiered to mermaid, the pace only faltering momentarily for said mermaid who had to struggle down the runway not unlike a fish out of water.

The collection led onto a knit so gossamer it was like it’d been spun by the tiniest of all the fashion butterflies but where the collection really came to life was in the fringing work, a highlight being the 20s inspired fringed robe thrown over a crochet swimsuit, which just oozed movie starlet glamour.

There was a moment when Fast went off piste a little, as out emerged three looks of the non-knitted variety. A tangerine bomber paired with a high-waisted pencil skirt suggesting the future for Fast may involve more resting of the knitting needles.

The tail end of the collection featured uber sexy evening wear, ruffled silk raffia jackets and skirts added new proportions to his usual body-con silhouette. The tone became even more dramatic with the finale dress looking almost like it had been licked by flames, molten lava apparently Fast’s inspiration for this ultimate show-stopping gown.

**Thanks to my pal Ella Shippey, Freelance Fashion Assistant, for stepping in and covering my shows while I was in New York, you rock!!!**[Pics: Style.com]